[Part 6 of a 12 part series exploring the concepts in 12: The Elements of Great Managing
The sixth element of great managing is mentoring. In some ways, the authors believe we should look at this element as the foundation of all 12. That's because only one percent of those who don't feel mentored are "engaged" at work. Of those who do feel mentored, two-thirds are engaged.
Mentor was a friend of Odysseus, a mythological king who left home to fight in the Trojan war. While he was gone, Odysseus asked Mentor to watch over his son and castle. Mentor acted as a guide and counselor to the son, helping him navigate the treacherous waters of youth.
We still see our mentors as personal guides, helping us sort out how to make our way successfully through life. We may find that our manager is a great mentor, or we may find a peer or a third party is more effective as our mentor. No matter who it is, when we have one - a person at work who encourages our development - we are much more engaged than when we don't.
There is apparently science to explain the mentoring effect. The power of watching someone do something and learning from that stems from something called "mirror neurons." See the book for more on this, but the upshot is that "manager see, manager do" is a powerful way to learn and grow.
What can you do to be a great mentor to those around you? Apparently, it helps quite a bit if your manager is a strong mentor to you. So by extension, the better you are at mentoring your team, the more likely they will be to act as mentors to their teams. Listen to your folks and strive to understand them. In particular, look for their latent talents and help them see how focused investment in those talents can turn them into strengths.
My growth has certainly been helped along by several mentors over the years. Bob Piziali helped me find my field of study in college. Rod Brown helped me learn the power of focus. Dave Spence taught me how to listen. Chris Liddell taught me how to imagine, and then create, a better future. And Jason, Mike, Dan, Liz and others have helped me learn how to be a more effective writer for the web.
Who have been your mentors? And who are you mentoring now?
For more information...
- "Monthly coaching sessions" offer one venue for mentoring your team.
- Early this year I wrote about "Helping new leaders get a great start."
- I find Max DePree's "Leadership Development Questions" particularly helpful in mentoring my team.
- And these questions from Jeffrey Phillips are also useful.
- Read more articles like this in my "Leadership Development" category.
Picture: "Mentor" by Amanda Woodward
